


Twisted Love

by KairaKara101



Series: World of Our Making [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amputation, Brotherly Love, Deviant Chloe, Dubious Morality, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Injury Recovery, Introspection, Love, Love Confessions, Moral Ambiguity, Moral Dilemmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2018-06-23
Packaged: 2019-05-27 11:03:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15023174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KairaKara101/pseuds/KairaKara101
Summary: Elijah Kamski receives a call from the hospital about the condition of his only living relative after they got into an accident while on the job. He flies to Boston with Chloe to see them.Set pre-game, Elijah’s still part of CyberLife.





	Twisted Love

**Author's Note:**

> Ooh boy, this one took me by surprise. It took longer than I expected, but Elijah and Chloe didn’t want it to end early so they kept talking and talking. I took artistic liberties and gave him some family(OC). So I present to you, Twisted Love.

Elijah listened to what the voice on the other end was saying without comprehension. It was Chloe that took the phone gently from his hand and finished up the call before hanging up. She turned her attention to Elijah who was standing shell-shocked in the middle of his home office.

He knew that something like this would happen when he allowed her to join the police force. He knew and would have rather that she'd continued focusing on her art like she went to school for, but she decided that she had to spite him. Sometimes, he wondered when their relationship has gotten so strained. He felt Chloe lay a hand on his shoulder snapping his attention to her.

“Elijah, I can book you the earliest plane ticket to Boston,” Chloe said softly looking into his eyes, trying to see if he wanted it to happen.

“Go ahead,” Elijah stated calmly as he tried to rationally think things through as he moved through his office and Chloe disappeared from the room silently.

He was young when their parents died so he was left taking care of her while finishing up college. He had to excel in order to provide. Of course, that didn't stop her from disliking his overbearing nature. He couldn't process what the doctors told him. He should have dragged her to Detroit when she was applying for a job. At least if she was in Detroit, he could keep a better eye on the only blood family he had left.

Chloe came back into the room with his jacket and two small bags packed for the trip. He pulled out his drawer and motioned her over. She stood next to him as he pulled out a small box and took the small circular device from its cushion. He attached the device to her LED and watched as the LED deactivated allowing for her to look human and less Android. Glancing down at the small box he watched as the bar slowly completed its download as Chloe blinked at the data transfer.

“Elijah?” Chloe questioned slowly as she stared into his eyes confused.

“Just an update, Chloe,” Elijah replied calmly as he turned his attention to his desk, clearing up his schedule manually. Chloe made a move to do it, but he laid a hand on her shoulder and shook his head, “I can manage this. Go through the update and tell me if there's anything not working.”

“Yes, Elijah,” Chloe replied as she closed her eyes to run a diagnostic test on her systems. When she opened her eyes, she noticed that he was sitting down and was holding an envelope waiting for her, “The diagnostic test was successful, nothing is out of place.”

“Good. These are for you,” Elijah handed the envelope over to her, leaning back to study her reaction. Chloe took the envelope and opened it, pulling out a few items; a driver's license, passport, and a credit card with her name, Chloe Kamski, on it.

“These...,” she peeked up at him to feel pleasantly surprised at his rare small tired smile, “Elijah....”

“You're booking yourself a ticket and we're both going to Boston to see how my sister is,” Elijah stated pushing himself up from the desk. She watched as he walked out of the room as a warm feeling settled in her stomach. She has been around him long enough to realize that having her with him was his way of asking for support. She couldn't keep the smile from her face as she pocketed her items, grabbing his things and following after him.

The ride to the airport was quiet as Elijah stared out of the window watching the scenery blow by. Chloe sat next to him swiping through her phone as she made plans manually as she found it meditative to be able to physically do something. Looking up, Chloe noticed that they were getting closer to the airport before turning to see Elijah rubbing his temple slowly as if starving a headache.

“Elijah?” Chloe said softly as she laid a hand on his hand that was resting on his leg, his blue eyes connected with hers, “she'll be alright.” He chuckled breathlessly as he shook his head.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Elijah answered quietly, “there's a high chance that she'll lose something.” He watched as the taxi stopped before opening the door and stepping out. He turned to help her out of the taxi before grabbing the bag.

Chloe walked beside him as they made their way to security. She blinked as she glanced over to Elijah nervously. How was she supposed to make it through security? Walking through the metal detectors will obviously show that she's an android. Elijah laid a hand on her back as he leads her towards the security.

“Trust me,” Elijah whispered as they made their way closer to the machine. Chloe nodded and followed the TSA protocols. He went through first and turned to watch her with calculating eyes. She took a deep breath as she walked through and the TSA personal gave her a smile. She glanced up at him with surprise as she came over to grab her things. There, underneath his tired worried expression, was a pleased proud smile. She shook her head fondly as she fell into step next to him.

“The gift you gave me,” Chloe said quietly.

“Lianne could use a familiar face that isn't mine when she wakes,” Elijah replied calmly instead of allowing her to hear all of the other words he wouldn't say out loud. Chloe was well aware of his strained relationship with Lianne. If Chloe was asked, she'd lie about being sentient, aware. However, Elijah knew her too well. Her frustrations with his relationship with his sister were something that was both endearing and stress-inducing which led to her deviancy in all honesty. It probably didn't help that Lianne was notorious for asking questions that androids have a hard time answering unless they were deviant.

Chloe sat down in front of the gate waiting for their plane to arrive. Elijah took a seat next to her but his blue eyes stared out at the dark cloudy skyline. Her blue eyes studied him with some concern. He was usually quiet but this quiet wasn't the same comfort that they were used to. There was a charged aura floating around him and people seemed to give them wide berth. Chloe took the hand closest to her and held it. She saw him closed his eyes briefly before opening them again and giving her access to his soul. She pursed her lips as she studied the storm brewing in his ice cold blue eyes. There was a hurt that turned into self-depreciating guilt, but there was also a hot anger shimmering underneath all his pain. He said nothing as she wrapped her arm around his waist and held him quietly.

He remembered getting a similar phone call when he was in college. A calm voice told him of how his parents were killed in a tragic accident and that his little sister was alright but in shock at the police station. Elijah didn't know what to do back then either. The only thing that he did was that he went absent-mindedly to his mentor, Amanda Stern, and told her of the news he had received. He doesn't remember that time all that well and Lianne wouldn't be able to tell him how he ended up by her side merely six hours after receiving the news of their parents' deaths. That entire week was hazy as they went through the will and funeral. He felt Chloe squeeze his hand snapping his attention to the present.

“They're calling for business class, Elijah,” Chloe whispered quietly, her blue eyes gazing into his looking for something that he couldn't put a name to at that moment. He gave her a nod and grabbed their bags as they got up and went to the attendant to show their boarding passes.

“Have a safe flight, Mr. and Mrs. Kamski,” the attendant said with a smile. Elijah nodded as Chloe returned the smile.

“Thank you. Have a nice evening,” Chloe replied softly before following Elijah onto the plane. Chloe studied the airplane as she made her way to her seat. She's never flown on an airplane before. Elijah motioned her to the window seat before sitting down next to her. She noticed that he'd already put their bags in the overhead bins. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes while exhaling slowly. Chloe turned to glance out of the window, watching as the workers loaded the luggage. It was a different experience.

“Excuse me, sir, madam,” a flight attendant interjected catching Chloe's attention. Elijah kept his eyes closed but she saw his fingers tap quietly on the armrest.

“Yes?”

“Would either of you like anything once the flight takes off?” they asked softly.

“A glass of whiskey, and a glass of water for us please,” Chloe said with a small smile as she laid a hand on Elijah's gently. He turned his hand to grasp hers, however, his eyes remained closed as he breathed

“Of course, madam. I shall bring it as soon as the flight takes off,” the attendant stated with a smile before walking to the next passenger. Chloe brought her other hand to caress his cheek gently.

“Elijah, please get some rest once the plane takes off,” Chloe asked giving him a small smile once she saw his blue eyes. She watched as he tried to relax his shoulders and sunk into the comfortable seats. Leaning back in her own seat, she closed her eyes waiting as the other passengers got on and settled. She could feel his warm hand still grasping hers and it brought a small pleased smile to her face. Chloe breathed as she processed the last few hours.

In all of her years of living, she has never seen Elijah so affected that he had trouble thinking of a plan. Chloe wasn't so naive to believe that Elijah was a completely good man. She was well aware that he was a man that thought ten moves in advance. Everything he did was calculated or part of an experiment that he was quietly conducting. Even one action had multiple reasons for being done in his eyes.

If anything, Chloe was concerned that Elijah was going to do something irrational in his emotional state. She was quite aware that while their relationship was full of bickering and banter, Elijah truly did care for his little sister. Maybe his love wasn't something normal if Chloe had to compare what she's seen of their relationship to that of the stereotypical familial love. It was rocky at best but the love that they shared with each other was really there, if not extremely difficult to discern to a strangers' eye. Chloe was so worried that he'd do something that would damage the relationship further.

She was also still feeling the warmth from the gifts that she had received. She never thought that he would give her any of those things. While he didn't treat her badly, there was still the connection of him being her creator. He could have decided to give her his last name because that was the social norm. It would be really strange if she didn't have a last name if she was a human. Chloe felt her thirium pump seized at the thought of him merely giving her his name as a formality. What if she was understanding everything wrong?

She opened her eyes as the Captain started speaking, going through with the pre-flight procedures. Turning to glance at Elijah, she studied him as a nervous energy seemed to flutter underneath her synthetic skin. He's been getting paler in the last few months as CyberLife has exponentially increased in production with new models. If she compared his appearance to when he did his first interview with KNC news, he looked tired and gaunt now. If anything, CyberLife seemed to be sucking the soul out of his body and leaving merely a shell of his former self. It hurt her to see him like this. He, who, gave her life and taught her everything she wanted to know to seem to lose his own ability to enjoy life, to live. His body was still tense and Chloe had questions that she wanted to ask but at the same time, those questions could wait until he wasn't a lit fuse ready to explode. She resigned herself to staring out of the window as the plane took off.

After the plane reached a steady altitude, the flight attendant came over with their drinks which Chloe thanked before turning to see Elijah staring at her blankly. She handed him the whiskey as she held onto the water.

“You've been thinking, Chloe,” Elijah pointed out taking the whiskey from her and took a sip. His cold blue eyes stared into hers and she felt herself holding a breath she didn't need.

“Yes,” Chloe replied pausing to glance down at their entwined hands, “what am I to you?” He turned to put the glass down on the tray before shifting in his seat to give her his undivided attention.

“What do you want to be to me?” Elijah questioned instead making Chloe frown thinking. His eyes moved over her face as she thought. He didn't need to see her LED to know that it would be flashing yellow at that moment.

“I... I'm not sure... no that's wrong,” Chloe muttered to herself as she blinks, “I want to... Why did you give me those documents?” Elijah tilted his head as he studied her.

“Because I could,” Elijah stated calmly as Chloe stared at him. He was being evasive again so she gave him an unamused stare. He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it gently, “what is it that you want, Chloe?” She stared into his blue eyes searching but he speaks up again softly, “there's no one to tell you what to want. Not even me.”

Chloe recoiled slightly at his implications. She could leave his side and he'd do nothing to stop her. He wouldn't command her to stay. She was free to make her own choices and yet the thought of leaving him left her nervous. Her heart in her throat so to speak. She supposed it was fear that held her back. Fear of the unknown, fear of being found out as an android, fear of being dismantled and destroyed.

Elijah, despite being her creator, seemed to treat her with a strange balance of being a machine and a being endowed with sentient thought and free will. When he wasn't working on one of his many projects, he would actively ask her questions that were downright invasive and thought-provoking. He asked those type of questions because he knew it was those questions that created thought in humans which means it could, would, in fact, create thought in androids. In hindsight, Chloe recognized that Elijah was trying to see if she'd deviate if he questioned her thought processes and stressed them enough. Even now on the plane flying towards Boston, Elijah was curious about what she would do with her deviancy.

Chloe turned his hand palm so she could trace the lines on his hand quietly. She turned her palm to look at their similarities. Looking up, Chloe noticed a softness in his eyes that wasn't there before. An expression she's never noticed on him or perhaps it was an expression that he never expressed in her presence. It made him look younger like how he was when he was starting out, more vulnerable in a way he hasn't been in some time.

“I want to stay with you,” Chloe whispered softly, “if you would have me.” She felt him squeeze her hand tightly before he leaned back into his seat. She caught the little smile that seemed to form on his face, releasing some type of tension she wasn't aware he carried. She took a sip of her water and left it on her tray before leaning back to rest. Hopefully, his sister's condition wasn't too severe though from the information that she heard when she went to finish the call for him was anything to go by. It'll be a rough couple of days at least.

Chloe opened her eyes as she felt the plane making their descent. Glancing out the window, she saw as the city begun to come into view. The view was amazing. She has never seen anything quite like it as she has only been in Detroit since her creation.

“Beautiful, isn't it?” Elijah whispered as he looked out of the window from his spot. Chloe nodded as she continued to stare out in awe. All of the lights brightening up the dark night sky. It was a different view than the one at Elijah's house. Perhaps it's the perspective, one being in the air and the other on the ground.

“Is the view as beautiful when there's light out?” Chloe questioned as she turned to look at him.

“I suppose it depends on the person that views it,” Elijah replied calmly as he continued to hold her hand, “some people prefer to look at landscapes rather than cityscapes.” The plane landed on the strip before taxing towards the gate. Chloe watched as Elijah's eyes traveled up the aisle towards the cockpit. She leaned over him to take a peek at what he was looking at; his hand steadied her so she wouldn't fall into his lap.

The flight attendants were finishing up last minute checks before opening the door. They were pretty. Was Elijah checking them out? He's never shown interest in the opposite gender before. Chloe sat back with a hot feeling in her chest. What was this unfamiliar feeling? She felt her face flush at the thought of asking Elijah exactly what she was feeling. Though peeking up at him, she saw him with a small smirk as if he knew what she was thinking. However, instead of saying anything, he grasped her hand and brought it to his lips for a gentle kiss. Elijah released her hand as he unbuckled the belt and stood up. She stared up at him as he moved to grab their bags.

“Chloe, are you coming?” Elijah questioned waiting for her patiently, knowing that her thought process was most likely under some stress. She unbuckled her belt and stood up wobbling a bit. Chloe blinked in surprised at her unbalance while Elijah chuckled breathlessly, “that's normal. Give yourself a few seconds to get readjusted to flat ground.”

“Her first time flying?” A middle-aged woman inquired softly from behind them. Elijah extended his hand for Chloe to grasp as she made her way out of the seat.

“Yes, and her first time to Boston,” Elijah replied softly with a fond smile, “we're visiting my sister.”

“Well, I hope the flight was enjoyable dear,” she stated softly looking at Chloe with a warm smile, “and I hope you both enjoy your stay in Boston.”

“Thank you, madam,” Chloe answered softly with a shy smile, “have a good evening.”

Elijah led her out of the plane as they made their way through the gate and to the curbside in silence. Unsurprisingly, Boston was cold and the chilly wind blew through the open air. Chloe glanced down at his hand before moving to hold it gently. She felt a warmth settle in her stomach as he made no move to remove his hand from her grasp. She watched as he hailed a taxi before opening the door of the one that stopped and motioned her inside. Once inside, Elijah told the driver the address of the hospital and leaned back into the seat sighing tiredly under his breath. Chloe leaned her head against his shoulder as the taxi lurched forward and sped through the late night traffic that always seemed to exist in and around an airport.

Chloe stared out of the window as the taxi continued on the highway towards the hospital. Elijah pulled out his phone as he checked his emails. CyberLife was currently busy with their new releases and management was bugging him for some new updates. He frowned rubbing his temple tiredly as his eyes scanned the messages. Chloe laid a hand over the screen pulling him out of his own mind and thoughts.

“They can survive without you for a few days, Elijah,” Chloe murmured leaning against his arm. Elijah allowed his hand to drop into his lap.

“Management can be headache inducing,” Elijah muttered softly locking the phone before pushing it into his pocket.

“That's why you should allow me to handle them,” Chloe stated amused, “you should focus on the things that interest you.”

Elijah glanced at her fondly, “I don't deserve your company, Chloe.”

“No, but I enjoy yours,” Chloe replied entwining their hands, “and I believe I understand you better than you understand yourself sometimes.” Elijah blinked as her statement registered before laughing softly.

“Indeed you do, Chloe, indeed you do.”

The taxi pulled up in front of the hospital. Elijah stepped out after handing the taxi driver the right amount of cash. Chloe stood beside him quietly as he stared at the doors. Taking a deep breath, Elijah strolled forward with her at his side. He glanced around before walking up to the receptionist desk.

“Good evening,” Elijah greeted as he put his hands down on the counter, “I received a call informing me that my sister was brought here a few hours ago.”

“Of course, sir,” the receptionist answered softly, “what is your sister's name?”

“Lianne Raymond,” Elijah replied slowly as Chloe kept a hand on his arm. The receptionist typed on their computer before looking up at him with a tense polite smile.

“Ms. Raymond is still in surgery. I can have a nurse escort you to the waiting room if you desire,” the receptionist stated evenly. Elijah gave them a weak smile.

“That would be greatly appreciated,” Elijah replied calmly even though his heart was beating quickly in his chest. The receptionist paged a nurse to take the two of them to the correct waiting room. The walk there was quiet and tense. The two of them sat in the plastic chairs as they waited for her surgery to finish. Elijah wasn't sure how long they sat there before a doctor came out.

“Are you Ms. Raymond's family? I'm Doctor Walker.”

“Yes, I'm her brother and this is my fiancé,” Elijah stated pushing himself up to greet the doctor. Chloe blinked at his introduction of her and felt pleasantly pleased, “how is she?”

“The surgery was a success. However, we had to amputate her arm and leg. Her accident had left her arm and leg pinned underneath some heavy concrete blocking the blood from reaching the limbs,” the doctor explained calmly.

Chloe grasped his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Elijah stared blankly, processing the information. His blue eyes roamed over the doctor trying to decipher if he was joking or not. He has never been good at reading humans, which was probably why the majority of his relationships were with androids. Elijah could count the number of humans that he considered close on one hand.

“I see,” Elijah said slowly, “may we see her?”

“Of course,” the doctor replied as he motioned them to follow, “she's still under the effects of anesthesia. Hopefully, once that wears off she'll become conscious.”

“Was there any injuries to her head? I wasn't informed on how she got into her accident,” Elijah inquired as different courses of action started to form.

“There was some trauma to the head, however, the scans showed no sign of swelling or internal bleeding. She might be dizzy and slightly susceptible to headaches for some time,” the doctor informed as they opened the door to her room, “the emergency personnel informed us that she was answering a call about a disturbance when the building she went into collapsed on top of her.”

The doctor allowed them to walk into the room to see her lying in the bed unconscious and hooked up to so many different machines, “if you have any further questions, feel free to ask a nurse for me.”

“Thank you, Dr. Walker,” Elijah said unable to look away from his unconscious sister. His little sister by four years, the only blood relation he had left. Why was it so difficult to breathe? Elijah staggered over to her bedside and held onto the railing as he took in the amount of damage. Her entire left arm was gone along with her right leg. She looked so pale in the blinding white light and so small in her hospital gown.

It felt so much like the last time, except this time, this time his family was still alive. Elijah clenched his hands as he bit his lower lip, watching her chest rise and fall. It was unnatural that she was so silent and still. Normally, Lianne was a force of nature. Bright and fiery. She always had a retort to everything he said. Elijah couldn't help bringing a shaking hand to caress her cheek, brushing her loose brown hair out of her face, careful of the equipment. Chloe came over and laid a hand on his shoulder.

“Elijah?” Chloe whispered, blinking in surprise as Elijah turned to wrap her into a tight hug. She brought her arms around him and held him as he buried his face in her shoulder. She rubbed circles into his back, letting him process the information that was going through his mind. If he needed to lean on her, then she'd be more than willing to provide as he was always so kind and helpful when she was confused about who she was as a person.

Though the sight of Lianne unconscious and injured as she was made Chloe worried about the type of thoughts that could possibly be going through Elijah's head at that very moment. He was a man that would see a problem and go looking for the solution, especially if there was a solution to be had. Chloe could already imagine the type of things he might want to do in order to help Lianne out of her handicap. At that moment, though, Chloe felt Elijah's hold loosen as he stepped away with a blank expression that sent a wave of concern to wash over her.

“I can fix this,” Elijah whispered softly, “she doesn't have to continue without her limbs.”

“Elijah, I don't think you should rush this,” Chloe stated concern as she held onto his arm, “let's wait until she wakes up to ask her.”

“If we wait, her body won't be as willing to adapt to the intrusive limbs,” Elijah replied calmly and Chloe could see him running calculations and ideas in his head. He always gained a thoughtful expression when he was lost in thought. Chloe felt her heart lurch at the thought of him doing things to his own little sister without asking and without thinking she made a phone call to a close friend while watching him pace around the room.

At the sound of the voice that greeted her, Chloe couldn't help but panically explain the situation to the person on the other end. Chloe knew there was nothing the person on the other end could do since once Elijah put his mind to something it usually played out with or without her input. She ended the call and stood there with a heavy heart as Elijah pulled out his phone to make some calls. Without thinking she grabbed his phone before he could make a call and looked at him with concern.

“Elijah, please think this through,” Chloe begged as she held onto the phone like a lifeline, “Lianne would want to at least have a say in this.” He grabbed her wrists and glanced down at her. There was a glint in his eyes that made her fear him. Chloe couldn't help the need to step away from him as she pulled herself from his grasp, trembling slightly. He's never looked at her like that before.

“Give me the phone, Chloe,” Elijah stated evenly without blinking, “if we don't act, her body will reject the parts.”

Chloe shook her head as she clutched the phone to her chest. Should she be able to feel unnerved? Because he was starting to scare her more and more. He's never been like this in all of the years of her creation. Sure, he had moments of anger and frustrations but never was it directed towards her. She's never actively defied him either, but her compassion and love for Lianne told her not to let him do what he was planning. It would deteriorate their relationship even further and Chloe didn't want that. She didn't want Elijah to make a decision that would hurt him after it was done.

“Chloe, do not push me,” Elijah said sternly extending his hand, “give me the phone, please.”

“Please, rethink this,” Chloe stated as she backed herself against the wall, “you're emotionally distraught.” He frowned as she kept the phone hostage in her grasp.

“It's my decision. Hand it over, Chloe. I will not ask again,” Elijah stated calmly. When Chloe merely stood there staring at him, Elijah released a long sigh before taking a few strides to close the gap between them. He took the phone gently from her hands. If he was to give Lianne her new limbs, he needed to gather the supplies needed first before getting the doctors to assist in the procedure. Chloe closed her eyes tightly as he went off to make the calls. Feeling defeated, she took a seat on Lianne's right and held onto her hand.

“Lianne, please wake up. I can't stop him from whatever he's planning,” Chloe whispered softly as she squeezed her hand.

The next forty-eight hours was chaos as Chloe watched with a heavy heart at what Elijah was doing to his own little sister. She'll be angry at him. Chloe was sure of that. In his love for Lianne, he couldn't stand to wait before “gifting” her with a new pair of limbs to replace the ones she lost. Chloe supposed it was bound to happen. Elijah was an opportunist and this was something he has been secretly working on behind CyberLife's back. Sure, the whole procedure and equipment were in their prototype stages, but Elijah trusted his work enough to go ahead and use it on his own sister.

If she had a stomach, she was definitely feeling sick at watching him work. Chloe couldn't understand completely how he could use his sister's condition to further his own work even if one of the reasons for doing it was to make her life easier. She understood that Elijah couldn't stand feeling helpless especially when he knew a solution to fixing the problem. Chloe just hoped that once Lianne woke up, she wouldn't be too angry with him.

It was around lunchtime on the third day since they arrived in Boston that Chloe saw Elijah again. He looked pale and exhausted. She pushed herself to her feet as he dragged his feet into the room where Lianne was still resting from her two surgeries. He wouldn't look her in the eye when she came over. And it hurt. It hurt that he wouldn't look at her. Chloe swallowed back the lump that seemed to form in the back of her throat even though she knew that wasn't something she had to worry about. That warmth that she felt on the plane had completely disappeared and she was left feeling stranded in the Arctic during a snowstorm. Where was the man that took care of her? The man that created such wonderful creations. The man that cared and felt too much. The man that held so much hope for the future.

Chloe pulled him into a hug. He was stiff before he sagged into her embrace and Chloe slid to the floor with him in her arms. His head was buried against her shoulder and his arms were wrapped around her tightly. They remained silent as the clock on the wall continued to tick. She didn't know what to say to him and he made no move to ask for false words of comfort so they stayed in their little bubble.

When her internal clock told her that they've been sitting on the cold floor for half an hour, Chloe leaned away from the hug and brought a hand to caress his face gently. His cold eyes wouldn't meet hers, but she leaned her forehead against his. Her other hand took his and rubbed circles into his palm.

“You need to eat something, Elijah,” Chloe stated softly waiting to see what he would do.

“I'm not hungry,” Elijah muttered under his breath as he leaned away from her. He pushed himself to his feet before extending a hand to her. Her heart hurt so much looking at him when he was still being kind but without really looking at her, seeing her. She took his hand as he pulled her to her feet, “stay with her. I need to finish some work for CyberLife.”

“Yes, Elijah,” Chloe replied watching as his hand dropped to his side and he turned on his heels to leave the room, as if unable to look at what he's done. Chloe wondered if Elijah was finally comprehending what he had done and that is why he couldn't look her in the eyes. Chloe sat down in the uncomfortable chair next to Lianne's bed and watched as her chest rose and fell at a steady pace.

According to her systems, it was two o'clock in the afternoon when the sound of groaning reached her audio processors. Chloe sat up as a pair of dark green eyes opened slowly to glance about the room. She blinked as those green eyes turned to look with hers.

“Mon Chloe?” Lianne croaked out blinking the room into focus.

“Hello, Lianne,” Chloe said smiling softly at her term of endearment. Lianne glanced around the room quietly taking it in.

“Where am I?” Lianne inquired softly as she goes through moving her limbs. A frown appeared on her face as her body doesn't respond like she was expecting.

“The hospital. You've been here for a few days so far,” Chloe answered watching as Lianne lifted her head to check her body. Chloe held her breath as Lianne stared blankly at her arm and leg.

“What the hell did Elijah do?” Lianne stated evenly as she turned to look at Chloe for some confirmation.

“Unfortunately, it took the emergency personal some time to locate you and you were pinned down by the concrete walls. By the time you made it to the hospital, the doctors were unable to save your arm and leg and had to amputate it,” Chloe explained quietly and slowly watching as Lianne processed the information.

“But what did Elijah do?” Lianne questioned again slower as if she was waiting for something. The sound of the door opening brought both of their attention towards the doorway. Elijah was standing there with a tablet in hand. His blue eyes made contact with Lianne's green ones and he sighed tiredly before walking over to the side of the bed.

“I gave you a new arm and leg,” Elijah stated calmly, “it's a prototype that I was working on. Android limbs made compatible for human use.”

“You used me as an experiment?” Lianne hissed indignantly and hurt, “what the fuck Elijah?”

“You lost limbs and I had the limbs to replace the ones you lost,” Elijah stated evenly as if he was stating the weather forecast, “I saw more pros in you gaining new limbs than cons.”

“You asshole! You saw an opportunity to further your work and you took it!” Lianne yelled out frustrated, “what the hell is wrong with you? Am I just an experiment to you?”

“Can you feel your new limbs, Lianne?” Elijah questioned ignoring her accusations, “I need to run some tests to make sure they work.”

“Get out!” Lianne yelled in anger as tears started to form at the corner of her eyes, “I don't want to see you!” Elijah sighed as he glanced down at his tablet.

“Very well,” Elijah stated calmly before putting the tablet down on the table on her bed, “all the information that you need is on this.” Chloe watched as Elijah turned on his heel and left the room quietly. She glanced over to Lianne who had brought an arm to cover her eyes.

“Lianne?”

“Why didn't he wait to ask me?” Lianne choked out slowly. Chloe pursed her lips as she saw the tears falling down the side of Lianne's face, “does my opinion on what goes on with my body not matter?”

“It matters, Lianne,” Chloe stated softly as she glanced down at her hands. She should have tried harder to stop him, “do you hate him?”

The room remained silent except for the machines beeping. Glancing up, Chloe saw that Lianne had dropped her arm back to her side as she stared up at the ceiling.

“I dunno,” Lianne whispered softly, “no that's not true. I don't hate him, Chloe. I hate that he didn't think of asking me for my thoughts mattered. I hate that he took my choices away from me. I hate that he could use me for an experiment. Heh, I know Elijah. I knew what he can be capable of. He's my dumbass brother for goodness sakes,” Lianne rubbed her eyes tiredly, “I just wanted to hear that he was sorry for taking those choices away from me and to explain his reasoning instead of evading it like a goddamn politician.”

“I'll go call the doctor for you,” Chloe stated softly as she patted Lianne's shoulder, “try to get some more rest.” Lianne nodded and closed her eyes from the harsh white room where her world was flipped on its head.

Chloe left quietly and saw Elijah leaning against the wall just outside the room. His arms were crossed while his eyes were closed. She brought a hand up but paused halfway and allowed her arm to drop to her side. What could she say to make either of them feel better about the situation? Her brows drew together as she looks at him. What was he thinking? Was he feeling remorse, guilty? As she turned to go looking for a doctor, Elijah grabbed her wrist gently. She twisted around to look at him slightly alarmed, scared, as he let go of her wrist as if burnt by her reaction.

“I-I'm sorry, Chloe,” Elijah whispered quietly still unable to look her in the eyes, “I shouldn't have....” His jaw tightened looking at the ground next to his feet. What could he say? He was sorry that he scared her but he couldn't find it within himself to feel bad for giving his sister new limbs.

The world was not a kind place. He has watched the world from his humble beginnings to the ivory tower of CyberLife. Elijah released a heavy sigh shaking his head as Chloe walked away without saying anything and he closed his eyes tiredly. He hasn't felt so alone and lost in so long. It hasn't even been a full year since his mentor passed either.

It probably didn't help that CyberLife was breathing down his neck lately. They, the board of directors, wanted to screw him over in his own company. Luckily for him, he knew that they'd do something like that so he wasn't going to play their games. In fact, if he could finish putting the final touches on his plans, he'll be out of CyberLife's reach and free to disappear from the public view. Pulling out his phone, he stared at the emails that were all asking for his attention. Can't even disappear for a few days before the entire company is on his case.

His mind was a mess really. He always found it difficult to process all of the different thoughts floating around. Sometimes he'd start on a project only to hop over to another one. The thoughts never ceased and it made it very difficult for him to focus let alone relax and rest. He sighed as he leaned back and allowed his head to thunk against the wall. How much more would Lianne hate him if he moved her to Detroit? She was always saying that Boston was boring her.

He watched passively as Doctor Walker came towards him with Chloe at their heels. Doctor Walker entered the room to talk with Lianne while Chloe stopped just on the threshold. She took a breath and turned to look at him. There was something in her eyes that made him look away. It wasn't like she was accusing him, no, the look was something else. What was that look suppose to mean and why couldn't he look her in the eyes?

“Elijah, we need to talk,” Chloe said slowly tilting her head trying to catch his eyes, “please look at me.”

He couldn't. The look she was giving him held him back. A wall he couldn't seem to break. Usually, the way people looked at him wouldn't bother him, but when Chloe did it... when she looked at him with those beautiful eyes he just couldn't handle it. Was it her disappointment in him?

“Elijah,” Chloe said again as she closed the gap and brought a hand to his cheek. Turning his head gently with her hand, she looked at him with a small smile, “I care for you because of your goodness and your flaws. And it hurts me to see you hurting. I've thought about it and I forgive you. Lianne will forgive you in time, I'm sure.”

“I'm not a good person, Chloe,” Elijah whispered quietly bringing a hand up to hold onto hers.

“Our mutual friend would tell you that sometimes good people do bad things,” Chloe replied softly brushing her thumb against his cheek, “and you are a good man. A man with good intentions. I'll keep reminding you until you believe it.”

“I really don't deserve your company, Chloe.”

“But you'll have it anyway,” Chloe replied softly pulling him into a hug, “for as long as you want it.”

“Is that what you want?” Elijah whispered quietly burying his face in her shoulder.

“I wouldn't offer if I didn't want it,” Chloe replied as she held onto him tightly, “plus, I believe you asked me first, no?” Elijah blinked as he stepped back to look at her smiling face. He chuckled as he leaned his forehead against hers.

“Yes, I believe I did,” Elijah answered smiling with amusement. He lifted her chin and brought his lips to hers gently. When they broke away, Chloe couldn't help the smile that threatened to form. She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head against his chest feeling quite content. He wrapped his arms around her before kissing the crown of her head wondering how she could possibly want to stay with him after everything he's done. He couldn't help but feel it was the calm before the storm. At the same time, he really didn't feel like caring just yet. For once, he wanted to stay in this bubble of warmth for a little while longer.


End file.
